


A Page From Your Book

by templarsandhoes



Category: Assassin's Creed
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-28
Updated: 2015-05-28
Packaged: 2018-04-01 17:08:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4028014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/templarsandhoes/pseuds/templarsandhoes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Grace Jacobs is many things. A catchphrase thief included.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Page From Your Book

The market was always busy. New York was a city full of life and energy, and the daily market was no exception. People coming and going, merchants yelling, kids running around, and mothers yelling after their kids. It was very easy for someone to blend in at the market, which is exactly what Grace Jacobs liked to do. Running an orphanage with her mother was never uneventful, so a few moments by herself in the market place was always welcome. She walked slowly from stand to stand, looking at all of the fruits and vegetables the farmers had to offer. She gave a sympathetic look to the woman trying to console her crying child. She said hello to the merchants she knew, and politely smiled at those she did not. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she finally had a moment to herself. 

Most people knew Grace, and most people liked her. It was a welcoming environment. She had over twenty mouths to feed, not including her mother and herself, so the farmers and the bakers all welcomed Grace with open arms. Some days they gave her the food for little to no cost, other days she insisted on paying them something. On occasion, she’s had to use her “natural charm” (as her parents would call it) to have food donated to the orphanage from the newer merchants whom she did not know yet. She always felt a pang of guilt when she did that, flirting her way out of paying. However, the looks on the kid’s faces when they received enough food to sustain themselves made that guilt slowly back away. 

“How are the kids, Grace?” the baker asked.

“I turn around for one second, and they break a table. Four children, all under the age of six. They broke our dining room table. You wouldn’t happen to know anyone who could give us a new dining room table, would you?” 

The baker laughed, and Grace smiled. He said to her, “I don’t. But here, since you need to buy a new table…” He handed her a basket full of her usual purchases, plus two extra loaves of bread. 

“Oh, Roberto. This is too kind. It’s really okay, you don’t have to do this.” She knew she could use that bread, but the guilt started to swell. 

“Grace. Take the bread or I’m going to tell your mother that you were giving me a hard time.”

“You wouldn’t dare bring my mother into this.” She smiled as she spoke, and reluctantly took the basket from his hands. “Thank you Roberto. I won’t forget this.”

“You’re damn right you won’t!” He threw his head back in laughter and waved at her as she walked off. Grace giggled as she weaved her way through a group of women gossiping. She turned at the nearest stand, and looked down the row. She caught the attention of the young farmer, and waved at him. He waved back, and lifted up a basket already full of fruits and vegetables. She sighed and smiled at him. She couldn’t help but notice his arm muscles as he lifted the basket up and put it back down. The smile turned from friendly to flirty quite quickly. 

“Good morning James!” Grace had to yell over a few people for the farmer to hear her. She was walking to the stand when she saw a familiar face. His gloved hand picked up a red apple. He brought it up closer to his face to examine it. Grace could watch him all day. There was an intensity about him that made him addicting for her. She approached the stand.

“Grace! How are you?” The farmer handed her the basket and flashed a smile that would make nearly anyone melt. He was charming; someone mother would love, Grace thought to herself. She returned the smile and took the basket from his rough hands. 

“I’m good. Say, you wouldn’t know how to fix a table, would you?” She struggled to hold the multiple baskets now in her hands.

“And why would you need a table to be fixed?” If Grace didn’t know any better, she would have accused him of flirting with her. 

“Little Charlie and his gang of misfits decided that the table wasn’t doing it for them anymore. So they took it upon themselves to redecorate.” She nearly dropped the basket of fruit, when the man standing next to her caught it. She looked up at him, and looked into his dark brown eyes. She then turned to the farmer and said, “Next time, I don’t need another basket.” The gloved man laughed and took the basket in his hands. 

“I guess you’ll need some help.” 

“Yes, I suppose I will.” Grace turned to James. “How much do I owe you James?” 

The farmer waved his hand and said, “It’s on me.”

“James, you said that three days ago too. You can’t keep giving me free food. What will people think?” She was struggling to get her coin purse off her belt. Before she knew it, the gloved man was giving coins to the farmer. She looked up at him, and a smirk started growing on her face. 

“That should cover her food, right?” The man flashed a grin to the farmer, then at Grace. Suddenly, another man appeared behind him. They were around the same height, but the new man wore a large, wide-brimmed hat. He placed a hand on the gloved man’s shoulder, before taking one of the remaining baskets out of Grace’s hands. 

“Hello Christopher. I appreciate the help.” She hated asking for help, but always accepted it when offered. The three of them started exiting the market. When they finally got to an area where it was quiet enough to have a conversation, the gloved man spoke first. 

“You made that farmer boy blush pretty bad back there.”

“I guess I did.” Grace replied with a straight face. She wondered how long she could last. 

“Just be careful. One day, you’re flirting with a farmer in a market, and the next day, you’re a farmer’s wife with a baby on the way and twelve chickens to feed.”   
“Well I already have twenty children to feed. I think twelve chickens would be a welcome change.” They both smiled.

“So you’re saying you’d give up the exciting life of running an orphanage to be a farmer’s wife?”

“Well, don’t sound so disappointed Shay. If I knew any better, I’d say you were jealous of that farmer boy.” Christopher laughed loudly. Grace flashed a big smile at Shay, and he returned the smile.

“Grace Jacobs, I am definitely jealous of that farmer boy.” They all laughed. Grace playfully bumped into Shay and gave a bashful smile. 

The conversation turned to tales of the two men’s latest adventures. Grace watched as Christopher and Shay’s banter played out. She admired how close the two of them have gotten over the past year. She remembers the first George Monro walked into the orphanage with Shay; a man who should be dead, but somehow lived. His eyes were dark, like they had seen something so terrible. Yet he made her laugh several times during their first meeting. Her heart fluttered when he left. And here he was, walking next to her, getting closer and closer with each step. 

They turned down an alleyway, and walked into the orphanage through the backyard. The children all said hello, but were too preoccupied with whatever it was they were doing. It amazed Grace how they could find entertainment in the smallest things. Grace, Shay and Christopher walked into the kitchen and placed the baskets on the larger countertop underneath the window. “Shay, I’m going back to the Morrigan to make sure the crew is actually doing those repairs we need.” Christopher never hung around the orphanage too long. Grace figured that was a story for another day. “I’ll see you around, Grace.” 

“Bye Chris. Thank you again for your help!” He waved at the couple and walked out. Shay started taking things out of the basket and setting them down on the counter. Grace picked them up and placed them where they belong. They accidentally bumped into each other a few times as they manouvered the kitchen. “What repairs does the Morrigan need this time?”

“Just some small holes in the hull to patch. Things like that.” 

“I still don’t understand how you can get holes in the hull of your ship and not sink.”

“They’re small. We don’t get hit enough for cannons to do any real damage.” Shay picked up the apple he was inspecting earlier. She didn’t even realize he still had it. 

“You are so humble it amazes me. How can the greatest sailor of all time be so humble?” 

“It’s a tough job, but someone’s got to do it.” Shay smiled as he took a bite out of the apple. He walked over to her, and placed his free hand on her hip. She looked up at him, then looked at the apple he was eating. She grabbed it, took a bite, and gave it back. She then turned back to the counter to grab more food to put away. Shay looked out the front window, and noticed a rather large wooden object sitting in front of the orphanage. “Hey, love. What’s that outside the front door?” He said with a piece of apple still in his mouth. 

“What?” Grace turned around and walked up behind Shay. She stood on her tip toes and grabbed his shoulders for balance. He pointed out the window with apple still in hand. “I don’t…” She trailed off as her hands slid over his shoulders. She walked towards the door and opened it. Shay followed. They approached the object with shock on their faces. A brand new table. On it, a note

“Heard you needed a new table. Enjoy”

No name or signature at the bottom. Grace flipped the note over, reread it, gave it to Shay to read, then looked at the table. It didn’t look broken or used. In fact, it looked brand new. “Looks like luck’s on your side, Ms. Jacobs.” Shay said to Grace. 

“Oh, I’m taking a page out of your book, Mr. Cormac.” Shay looked at her. “I’m making my own luck.” She said with a wink. 

He laughed and walked over to her. He took her face in his hands, and placed a kiss on her lips. She kissed him back, but it was over too soon. With eyes still closed, she heard Shay say something. “If you ever steal my phrase again there will be hell to pay.” She smiled and slowly opened her eyes.

“Looking forward to it.”


End file.
